


King of the Gods

by vanilla_kit_kat



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Kidnapping, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Other, Protective Arin, Suzy is just worried about her boys, and so is brian, but he only shows up for a couple scenes, dan is sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:13:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27789556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanilla_kit_kat/pseuds/vanilla_kit_kat
Summary: A long day for Dan goes from bad to worse when some people decide he'd be worth a lot of money, being a grump and all. Arin really, really doesn't approve of that at all.(Read the notes for some clarifications.)
Relationships: Arin Hanson & Brian Wecht, Dan Avidan & Arin Hanson, Dan Avidan & Brian Wecht, Dan Avidan & Suzy Berhow, Suzy Berhow/Arin Hanson
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	King of the Gods

**Author's Note:**

> Okay!! So I had originally written this story as an end of the year project for an english class, which meant it had all original characters and a bit of a different storyline. The only thing was, the main characters were named Dan and Aaron, so I started associating this with Game Grumps and eventually decided to modify it into a fic about them. Because of that, it's written as if the reader wouldn't know who they are already, so sorry if that's weird. The other thing is that my original story was inspired by a song called "Zeus: King of the Gods", hence the title of the fic. It really doesn't have anything else to do with the story besides that. I think that's all I have to say, so hope you enjoy!!

Alex wasn’t willing to waste anymore time.   
He had planned this operation for over a month, smoothing out every detail to make sure that everything went perfectly. Tonight was the night that he had been waiting for, the night that their plans were least likely to fail. It was dangerous business, and he knew it wouldn’t be long before the warehouse he was “renting” would raise suspicion. It may have seemed like overkill to some, but if they weren’t careful about this then the plan would fall apart in a matter of seconds.  
He looked down from the balcony he was standing at, watching the few men he had hired for this job silently finish the final preparations. He watched as the last man threw the last of the supplies into the van, and smiled when they pulled out exactly what they would need to use when they got to their destination. He cleared his throat loud enough for them all to hear, and they all turned to look up at him. His smile grew bigger.  
“Boys, this job has taken up all of our time the past month. We cannot afford to fail now, especially since there’s no turning back once we leave this warehouse. As a final warning, I will give the option to back out, if anyone wants to.”  
No one moved, stony faces staring back at him and determination behind their eyes. It would’ve been inspiring if they weren’t about to do something so...illegal.  
Alex chuckled, which would’ve sent a shiver down anyone’s spine who wasn’t already used to it.  
“That’s what I thought, boys. I’ll be the first to admit that I know this is risky, but there’s a nice sum of money we all get to split at the end of this. If that isn’t incentive, then I don’t know what is!”  
He laughed again, still the only one. He didn’t care.  
“Now then, I’m ready when you folks are. We’ll run down the plan once more, and then me, Moon, and Private will head down to our new friend’s house to pay him a visit.”

\-----------

“Yo, Dan, you coming?”  
Dan looked up from his phone, which he had recently gotten distracted on while waiting for the last few people to leave the office. Being essentially the second-in-command at his best friend, Arin’s, company, he felt he was responsible for making sure the other employees got to leave first and never had to worry about locking up the building. The only other people left besides himself were Aaron, and Aaron’s wife Suzy.   
While Dan felt responsible for all the other employees, Arin felt responsible for them and Dan. Arin was the boss, and Dan was his employee, but he also felt responsible for him as his friend. The equipment in the office was expensive, and he knew someone was bound to attempt something at some point. They could replace equipment, but not people. Dan was his best friend, and he’d be damned if he ever let anything happen to him.  
“Yeah, I’m coming Arin, sorry.”  
“Don’t be sorry dude, I just wanna make sure you get home okay.”  
“Okay, thanks, *dad*.”  
The sarcasm made the three of them giggle, and it trailed off into a comfortable silence as Dan stood up and gathered his stuff. They had these moments a lot, and it just went to show how close the three of them were. They were best friends, and they had a connection that was quite unexplainable.   
“Y’know, all jokes aside, you really don’t have to walk me to my car every night. I’m a big kid, I can handle myself,” Dan said, watching as Arin pulled Suzy closer to him once the cool air hit them after walking outside. It was a sweet gesture, and Dan secretly smiled to himself.  
“I know, but as your friend, and your boss, I have to make sure all my employees leave the building safely. It’s just procedure, man,” Arin shrugged jokingly, stopping for a second to pull out his keys. Dan stopped in front of his car, doing the same.  
“Well, I appreciate it man. Thanks for making me feel safe every night,” he responded, flashing a genuine smile to Arin. Arin smiled back, and both him and Suzy waved before climbing into the car.  
“Have a good night buddy, love you and I’ll see you tomorrow.”  
“Love you too Arin, see you tomorrow.”

\--------

Dan was desperate to get home, get comfortable, and go to bed. Even though he loved his job, it could get very stressful with deadlines and workloads and today was no exception.   
As soon as he walked in the door, he kicked off his shoes and dropped his bag. He sauntered into the kitchen to get water, and he pulled out his phone to check on his social media accounts. As a side business, him and one of his other friends had started a band together that was picking up some traction. Arin was helping fund the band, just another reason why Dan loved him, and it was something he hoped he could make a bigger career out of some day.   
Dan could already feel his eyelids getting heavy as he mindlessly scrolled through his Instagram page, and he knew that as soon as he laid down he would pass right out. He didn’t even think he would be able to change into something more comfortable. He was debating whether to just fall asleep right at the kitchen counter, and even though he knew he would regret it in the morning, he was too tired to care at that point.   
A sudden breaking of glass woke him back up immediately.  
His head shot up and he whipped around towards the source of the noise, looking into his living room to see one of the big windows off to the side shattered, dozens of tiny pieces of glass littering the floor. He felt his heart start to beat faster as a sinking feeling made its way into his chest.   
Nothing happened for a second, and for a brief moment he thought that it might have been some kids that had hit a ball or something through the window.  
Except it was almost midnight and he didn’t live near any kids.  
He noticed movement outside the window, and someone started climbing in, careful not to cut themselves on the broken shards of glass. Dan froze, unable to move even though he knew that he needed to get out of there and hide, immediately. A sudden short hiss of pain from the guy climbing through sprung Dan into action, and he ran as quietly as he could to his room, his phone gripped in his hand like a lifeline. He prayed to God that they didn’t notice he was in there.  
Dan immediately hid in his closet, not having many other options available at the moment. He was surprised he was rational enough to even think to hide, considering how much he was freaking out on the inside.   
Someone is breaking into my house, this can’t be happening right now...  
Dan somehow managed to open his phone up despite how much his hands were shaking, and also somehow managed to momentarily forget the number he needed to call 911. To say he was a little nervous was an understatement.  
“911, where’s your emergency?”  
Dan never would’ve thought that such a simple phrase could make him feel so happy. He was worried about the men hearing him talking to the operator, but he had the police on the line now and that insurance was much needed right now. He audibly sighed in relief, whispering into the phone.  
“Uhm...my address...wait, crap, hold on...I’m sorry, I can’t think straight right now, I’m scared, hold on…”  
Dan felt incredibly stupid about forgetting his address later, but no one blamed him considering what was happening at the time.  
“Sir, are you in any kind of immediate danger?”  
“Uhm..yeah, kind of...people broke into my house and I’m hiding from them in my room.”  
“Do they know you’re in the house?”  
“I don’t think so, as soon as I saw them coming in I ran and hid.”  
“Okay sir, do you have an address for me now?”  
“Yeah, I’m sorry, it’s uhm...342 Lambourne Edge.”  
“Okay, I’ve got police coming your way, can you tell me your name sir?”  
“Dan, Daniel Avidan.”  
“Okay Dan, did you happen to see how many guys were there?”  
“No, I only saw one guy coming in but there were more shadows outside the window. I think I saw maybe three though.”  
“Okay, the police should be there soon, I just need you to stay on the line with me for as long as you can.”  
“I can do that…”  
Dan suddenly tensed up, hearing footsteps right outside of his bedroom door. Despite his recent promise, he immediately hung up, afraid that the operator would talk and alert them of his presence in the closet. It probably wasn’t the best idea, but the police were on their way. He just needed to stay silent for a couple more minutes…  
“Are you sure he came in here?”  
“Yeah, there’s nowhere else he could’ve gone and he definitely didn’t leave the house.”  
Dan felt his heart drop into his stomach. They knew he was there, and they were looking for him.   
Sudden terror gripped at him, and he covered his mouth with his hand to prevent himself from hyperventilating or breathing loud enough for the men to hear. Apparently, that was pointless.  
The door to the closet was suddenly thrown open, and the movement caused Dan to fall backwards in fear.  
“Found you.”  
Dan swore his heart was about to jump out of his chest. He was staring directly into the face of one of the men, who had a grin that could make children cry and flowers wilt. It was definitely making Dan want to cry.  
Dan was too unstable after falling backwards to prevent the man from grabbing his arm and pulling him up, and suddenly he was surrounded by three large, menacingly tall men who each had their own disgusting grin. A little voice in the back of his head told him that the sinister smiles meant they may not have come here to steal from him.   
Dan tried to break through the little circle they had formed around him and run again, but two of the guys had formed an impenetrable wall of arm muscles and pushed him back, directly into the third guy who wrapped his arm around his neck and forced Dan into a headlock. The sudden threat of harm gave Dan just enough adrenaline to force himself to slip out and duck under the other two, who both made unsuccessful attempts to grab him.  
The third one gave chase, and Dan barely made it two feet before he felt a sudden pain and his legs were kicked out from under him. He fell hard, the sudden impact scrambling his brain just enough to give the men the upper hand. One pulled him up and pulled his arms back, while the other two took advantage of Dan’s now exposed chest to punch him in the stomach. He doubled over in pain the best he could while being held up, but when they went in for the second punch Dan was ready and he used the man holding him as leverage to bring his legs up and kick at the other guys. When he landed he had just enough force to pull his arms out, and wasting no time he scrambled to pick up his discarded phone and run out of the room. He couldn’t wait for the police anymore, he needed to get out of the house and away from the men.   
Being less bulky then the three guys, he had a speed advantage and was able to make it to the front door. He threw it open and ran out, praying he could outrun them and make it to a safe place. He lived in a weird, isolated spot that made it just pointless enough to scream for help. No one would’ve heard him.  
A sudden vibration in his hand spooked him for a second, but he realized it was just his phone. He thought it could’ve been the police trying to call him again so he took the risk to look down at it, but it turned out it was Arin calling.   
Being so relieved to see his friend’s name pop up, he immediately answered it, still running from the men who were not very far behind. There were only two now though, which made him feel a little uneasy. That couldn’t have been good.  
“Hey Dan, you won’t believe what I finally found!”  
Arin’s voice through the phone was like hearing angels sing to Dan. He practically laughed in relief before speaking.  
“A-Arin…”

\--------

The out of breath, panicking voice that came through the phone startled Arin, and whatever he had just been planning to say died in his throat.   
“Dan, are you okay?” Suzy, who had been sitting on the couch waiting for Arin to come back heard the sudden shift in her husband’s voice and grew concerned. She slowly stood up and watched as his face grew from confused, to horror, to anger.   
“Arin, I need help...p-please, these guys broke in, and now they’re chasing me and I need help and I called the police but they haven’t come yet-”  
“Hey buddy, listen, I’m coming now, just hang on okay? Just stay on the phone with me. Where are you?”  
Dan’s muscles were starting to hurt, and he could feel himself slowing down slightly. He needed help now.  
“Uhm, I just ran from my house, I’m out in the street now. I went left from my front door. Arin, I’m getting tired, they’re gonna catch up to me-”  
“Dan, stop, no one is going to catch up to you. Keep running, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”  
Suzy felt her own face melt into horror. Why was Dan running, and from what?  
Arin picked up his keys he had recently dropped on the counter and headed out to the garage, Suzy hot on his trail.  
“Arin, what is going on? Is Dan okay?”  
Arin looked at her, his eyes giving away everything.  
“Some guys broke into his house and now they’re chasing him down the street, I’m gonna go get him.”  
Suzy paled considerably at that.  
“Arin, what do you think you’re gonna be able to do?”  
Arin hadn’t thought about it, but Suzy had a point. He wasn’t the police, if he got there then there was nothing stopping the guys from attacking him either. He knew it was probably stupid to play hero and go save Dan, but that was his best friend. Emotion overrode any rational thinking and he grabbed his old baseball bat he had lying around, throwing it into the backseat.   
“Arin, what are you doing? You’re gonna get yourself hurt-”  
“It’s better than Dan being hurt. I need to go to him, I need to get him.”  
Something in Arin’s voice made Suzy step back, realizing she wasn’t going to convince him to stay. Maybe she didn’t really want to anyway. Dan was her best friend too, and she knew that deep down she wanted Arin to go and beat the hell out of the men that dared to hurt Dan. So, all she did was lean in and kiss his cheek before stepping back to let him get in the car. He wasted no time in speeding off, and Suzy prayed both her boys would be okay.

\--------

Dan was getting too tired. His legs and stomach were screaming at him to stop, but if he did then he was probably in for a lot worse. He risked a glance backwards and saw that the two men were slowly advancing, the third one still missing. He looked ahead again, now with the weird irrational fear that the third guy would jump out in front of him and block any means he had of escaping.   
He really tried to keep running, but he felt like he was getting ready to pass out. He involuntarily slowed down even more, and this time it was just enough for the men to catch up to him. The bigger one jumped and tackled Dan to the ground, earning grunts of pain from both of them. The second one circled around near Dan’s head and pulled out his phone, texting something to someone while the first guy pinned Dan down, his size now to his advantage. Dan tried to kick him and hit him, hoping he could hit a spot that hurt the guy just enough to loosen his weight on him, but he could barely move as it was and didn’t have much of a fighting chance anymore.   
The weight of the situation fully dawned on him at that point, and he felt tears start to form behind his eyes. A million scenarios ran through his head, each making him feel worse then the last and he felt himself start to hyperventilate. His mind grew more panicked the more he tried to move with no luck, and his attempts at freeing himself grew more desperate.   
“Is he on his way? This isn’t getting any easier down here,” The man holding Dan said, and the phone guy nodded.  
“Yeah, Alex is bringing the van around now.”  
Despite his panic, Dan picked up on the name. He knew he needed to remember that, it was important information that could put these guys away for good if they got away with this. Sudden headlights blinded him, and he shielded his eyes the best he could from what he assumed was the van that this Alex guy was bringing around. However, once the lights went off and Dan was able to look at the vehicle, he realized it wasn’t a van. He recognized that car.   
“Arin!”  
Both men suddenly looked nervous, losing the smiles from before. Arin opened the car door and began to step out, but another set of headlights blinded them all again, almost crashing into Arin’s car. Arin had jumped out of the way, relieved the new car didn’t hit his car and add on to the growing list of problems, but it distracted him long enough where the men were able to bring Dan to the van, which was what just came barreling out of nowhere.   
“Arin! Stop, get off-”  
Arin whipped around at Dan screaming his name, and froze when he saw the two guys practically throw Dan into the back of the van. Without giving them a chance to close the doors the van started moving again, and Arin wasted no time in getting back into his car and following.   
This was the stupidest thing Arin had ever done…  
Arin knew it wasn’t smart to be chasing these guys down. The police had to be at Dan’s house by now, and it probably would be really bad to get arrested for a high speed car chase, but he wasn’t worried about that at the moment. He was just worried about Dan.  
He could still see him in the back of the van since the doors were never closed, and Dan being so close yet so far activated Arin’s flight or fight response. He stepped on the gas even though he didn’t really know what he was gonna do, but seeing his best friend in danger was messing with his thoughts.   
The two cars must have been going well over the legal highway speed limit, and Arin was at least grateful that this was happening when no one else was really on the road. He knew he was getting closer to the van, he could make out their faces, albeit hidden, much better. Arin had watched enough movies to know that it was a good sign when the bad guys were wearing masks. If they didn’t want their faces seen, then it was likely they weren’t planning on killing anyone who saw them.  
God, I don’t even want to think about them...doing that, to Dan.   
A sudden noise caused everyone to look ahead, and everyone collectively realized a huge problem they were about to face:   
They were nearing a drawbridge, and it was starting to open. They didn’t have anywhere else to turn, and they didn’t have the option to stop either.  
Both men immediately grabbed onto bars attached to the walls of the van, and Dan, taking the hint, did the same thing. He didn’t want to think these men were crazy enough to try and jump the gap, but considering what else had happened that night, he wasn’t that surprised. Luckily, the bridge had just barely opened at that point and the van made it across safely, albeit terrifyingly.   
Arin was going to have a much harder time crossing, and Alex, whom Dan had figured out was the driver, knew that. Once they had gotten across, the van slowed to a stop and the two men grabbed Dan’s arms, holding him back. Dan didn’t understand at first, and he tried looking at the guy on his right, but his head was forced back towards the drawbridge. His face suddenly paled when he realized what was happening:  
They were forcing him to watch Arin try and cross the bridge.  
Time seemed to slow down all around him as he watched Arin lose contact with the road, flying towards the other side as the bridge continued to move away from a safe landing. He couldn’t breathe, watching his best friend flying to his death all to try and protect Dan.  
For a split second he made eye contact with Arin, whose mouth was open in a silent scream.   
For a split second, Dan wished he never answered Arin’s call.  
And then Arin was on the other side of the bridge, his car practically bouncing off the pavement and flipping over, the horrific sound of metal screeching against concrete filling the air as the upside down car slid down the rest of the bridge.  
And then just like that, silence.  
Dan didn’t even have time to fully process what just happened before the van started to pull away. He immediately started struggling against the men.  
“Wait, please! We have to make sure he’s okay, please!”  
The van stopped, and Alex turned around in his seat.  
“Kid, this night is not going as planned, and I'm just glad we've made it this far. I’m not going to risk ruining anything any further.”  
“Please, why are you doing this?”  
Dan was exhausted, scared, and confused. The least he could have were some answers.  
“Look, we’ve been planning this for months. You want to know why? Fine. You work for a big company that’s making a lot of money. You’re starting to get a little famous too, with your band and whatnot. That makes you valuable. We figured we could take you for ransom to get some money from the company. we assumed it would be easy, but instead we got a runaway, a high speed car chase, and now a crash with a possible death. Yet somehow, we still have you and can still get the money.”  
Dan had kind of suspected that money was involved, and somehow he was almost relieved. That wasn’t the worst scenario he had thought of.  
“You said you want the company I work for to pay the money, right? Well, the guy in the car *is* the company. He’s the boss, and if he’s dead, then you won’t get a single dollar! Please, just at least take him out of the car and make sure he’s alive.”  
Alex sighed, turning back towards the steering wheel, but he knew Dan had a point. He didn’t really want any blood on his hands anyway.  
“Boys, go check on the guy in the car, but be quick please. Bring Dan with you. Show him what happens when he doesn’t cooperate.”  
Both men pulled Dan out of the van, each holding his arms tight enough where he could feel them start to lose circulation. They walked to the car, the silence of the night deafening to Dan. One of the men let go and went to the car, pulling Arin’s limp body out through the smashed window. Dan could see Arin’s chest moving up and down through his glossy eyes, and the sudden intense feeling of relief practically brought him to his knees. His best friend was alive, and that was all he needed to know.

\--------

Arin felt hungover. As soon as he tried to open his eyes, a wave of nausea rode over his body and he turned on his side, ready to throw up. His head hurt, his eyes hurt, and his entire body felt like he had been hit by a truck.   
The analogy in his head suddenly brought back a surge of memories, and he felt his chest tighten as he remembered previous events.  
Dan…  
Arin slowly pulled himself up, his head screaming at him to stop moving. He had to have had some kind of mild concussion.  
He looked at the totaled car in front of him, and noticing the van and Dan were nowhere to be seen, rage joined his pain. He reached his arm through the back window and pulled out the baseball bat that had somehow survived the crash.   
He finally fully stood up, using the bat as a crutch. There was a murderous glint in his eye as he pulled out his phone, grateful he had finally convinced Dan to get the phone tracker app in case of situations like this.   
Whether it was the concussion or the adrenaline talking, no one hurt Dan and got away with it.

\-------

“Look, I told you we have to wait until he’s okay! He can’t pay money until he’s safe in a hospital and out of harm’s way.”  
Alex ran his hand across his face, fed up with the way his night was going.   
Dan had convinced them to call an ambulance for Arin, saying that it would help his recovery move along faster and get them the money sooner.   
For now though, they just had to wait. Alex was a patient man, but he knew his men weren’t.   
“Kid, my guys don’t know what the word ‘wait’ means. After a day or two with no ransom call, they’re gonna get a little antsy. That’s never a good thing.”  
Dan shrunk back a little, knowing he probably shouldn’t have been talking back so much, but he was as fed up as Alex was. Nothing was said for a minute, both secretly grateful for the silence. It didn’t last long though.  
One of Alex’s hired hands suddenly threw the door open, breathing heavily and clutching his side.  
That’s not good.  
“Sir, we have a big problem.”  
“Well? Get on with it.”  
“The guy you said that chased you in his car? He’s here, and he may have…” he paused for a second to take a breath as Alex stared daggers at him,”...he may have broken in and beaten all of us with a bat. I’m really the only one still able to move…” He trailed off again as he got a glimpse of Alex’s face.   
“Out.”  
The man wasted no time and was out the door before Dan could even blink. He looked over at Alex, who seemed to be questioning his life choices.  
“Why does this keep happening to me?”  
“Maybe you shouldn’t kidnap people and then almost kill their best friend.”  
Alex didn’t say anything.  
Another shadow in the doorway caused them both to turn their heads, and for the first time in his life, Alex felt a twinge of fear.  
There Arin stood, baseball bat in his hand and nothing but pure, unadulterated rage in his eyes.   
He slowly approached Alex, only sparing a glance at Dan, who was sitting on a makeshift bed with his hands tied behind his back. Alex backed away, suddenly wishing he just did all of this on his own. Maybe then, he wouldn't be about to be knocked out by a baseball bat.

\--------

Suzy felt like she was going crazy. First, her husband gets a call from his best friend that he’s being chased down by some maniacs. Then, said husband leaves to go save his friend.   
Next thing she knows, it’s an hour later and she gets a call. From the police.  
All they told her was that they found a car that had crashed, and when they ran the license plates, it led them to her husband.  
She was currently at the site of the crash, flashing lights blurred through her teary eyes. She was assuming the worst, and since no one was in or around the car when the police arrived, they had made the reasonable assumption that Arin had been taken as well, dead or alive.  
Many officers had asked her questions, and she told them about the call Arin got from Dan, but she said once he left the house, she didn’t know anything else that happened.   
At this point, the news of the break in and the car crash had spread, and some news reporters were trying to get in. Brian had also gotten wind of the situation and immediately drove out to the crime scene. Suzy couldn’t have been more relieved to see him. They were both standing by the totaled car, out of the way of any reporters.  
“Do you think they’re okay?”  
“It’s Dan and Arin, of course they’ll be okay.”   
Brian gave Suzy a reassuring smile, which she returned. She rested her head on his shoulder for a moment, but her phone ringing startled them both. She pulled it out slowly, but gasped when she saw who it was. Brian looked at her confused, but didn’t say anything. She answered it quickly, praying it was really him.  
“Arin?”  
“Hey, babe…”  
“Oh my God, Arin, are you okay?”  
“I’m fine, I got Dan. We’re both okay. I think I have a mild concussion.”  
Suzy didn’t even try to hold back tears. Brian pulled her into a hug, shedding a few of his own.  
“Babe, I turned on my location. Use the app to find us.”  
“Arin, I thought you were hurt or dead or-”  
“Suzy, I love you so much.”  
“Oh my God, I love you too.”   
She bit back a sob as the police finally overheard the conversation, and rushed over for information and questions. All Suzyy cared about was that her boys were safe. She buried her face into Brian’s chest as he explained to the cops what he had overheard. 

\--------

“Arin, is Suzy okay?”  
Dan, who was currently kneeling on the floor and rubbing his wrists, looked down at the limp form of Alex. He felt sorry, but was just grateful the ordeal was over.   
“Suzy’s okay, she was just worried about us.”  
“Good. God, I feel awful.”  
Arin looked at Dan like he had three heads.  
“Dan, don’t you dare blame any of this on yourself! This is a terrifying situation that you had every right to panic about!”  
“But I got you into this mess and got you hurt-”  
“All I think I have is a mild concussion.”  
“You keep saying that.”  
“Yeah, cause I have a mild concussion.”  
Dan chuckled slightly, and sighed happily. Arin always made him feel better, even if it was unintentional.   
Silence followed, but this time it wasn’t bad.   
They made eye contact with each other, Dan looking directly into Arin’s eyes. He could see the worry from the past few hours that he had felt, but he could also see something else. A happier, much stronger emotion. Then, he realized, he felt it too.  
Love.   
They loved each other. That’s why Arin waited for him after work and walked him to his car. That’s why he didn’t even think twice about driving out to save him when he was in danger. That’s why he jumped the bridge even though everyone knew it was going to end badly. That’s why his first thought when he woke up with a mild concussion was to save Dan. That’s why he had the ability to take out twenty guys with a bat to save his best friend.   
He loved him.   
Dan’s sudden revelation brought on a new onslaught of emotions that he wasn’t ready for, and he could feel himself start to cry. Arin, prompted by the sudden emotion on his friend’s face, immediately pulled him into a hug. Both sat there, sobbing into each other’s shoulders.   
“Arin, I love you so much.”  
“I love you too, Dan.”  
Nothing else needed to be said. No matter what happened after this, no matter what they had to go through, they would go through it together. The events of that night had proved that they were more than just best friends.  
They were a family.


End file.
